2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois
Finding the Best Design & Applied Arts School for You
With 979 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, design and applied arts is the #37 most popular major in Illinois.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois
Check out the design programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools
Our analysis found Illinois Institute of Technology to be the best school for design and applied arts students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for design and applied arts students. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
While working on their degree, design majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $22,407 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $501, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The excellent programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Illinois. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern University
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The excellent programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best design and applied arts schools in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.
Design majors at Illinois State take out an average of $22,868 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Central College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, design graduates from North Central carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Full Design & Applied Arts at North Central College Report
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With a ranking of #6, Bradley University did quite well on this year’s best schools for design and applied arts students. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.
While working on their degree, design majors at Bradley accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that design majors at UIC take out is $25,425. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $295.
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Roosevelt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for design and applied arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
While working on their degree, design majors at Roosevelt accumulate an average of around $22,250 in student debt.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Roosevelt University
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Columbia College Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
Design majors at Columbia take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $485.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #10 on this year’s Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a large student population.
Full Design & Applied Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
Request InformationBest Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Design & Applied Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,011 |
| Ohio | 1,456 |
| Indiana | 417 |
| Wisconsin | 717 |
More Design & Applied Arts Rankings in Illinois
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Design & Applied Arts that might interest you.
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Rankings in Majors Related to Design
One of 10 majors within the area of study, design and applied arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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